Eighties music icon Hazel O'Connor is reportedly "living hand to mouth" with no savings four years after suffering a serious brain bleed, prompting friends to launch a fundraising campaign for her care. The 72-year-old singer, known for hits like "Eighth Day," "D-Days," and "Will You," has been unable to work since the medical event.
O'Connor collapsed alone at her home in the South of France in January 2022, leading to a diagnosis of a bleed on the brain. Her brother Neil announced at the time that she was placed in an induced coma for 24 hours and that her condition was critical. Recovery was expected to take a considerable amount of time.
Friends Claire Wheeler and Danny Gerrard established a GoFundMe page, which was initially set up a year ago, to help cover O'Connor's ongoing medical expenses and living costs. They stated on the page that despite her career success spanning over five decades and 20 albums, she has been left with no savings, attributing this partly to "an unscrupulous music industry."
Friends have written on the fundraising page that O'Connor has been a "real fighter" throughout her recovery, which has spanned three years. While past donations have helped cover medical expenses and bills, the significant monthly cost of carers, required three times a day, remains a constant concern.
A recent surge in donations has brought the total raised to nearly £25,000. The brain bleed affected the right side of O'Connor's body, leading to difficulties with movement and speech. Updates on her social media and the fundraising page have shown her participating in singalongs as part of her speech rehabilitation.
O'Connor, who rose to prominence in 1980 for her role as Kate in the film "Breaking Glass" and its BAFTA-nominated soundtrack, had continued to perform and tour in her later years. Fellow musician Toyah Willcox was among those to send messages of support, writing on social media, "DEAREST HAZEL YOU ARE IN OUR PRAYERS, YOU ARE IN GOOD HANDS AND WE LOVE YOU, TOYAH XXX."
O'Connor, who received a star on Coventry's Walk of Fame in 2010, had a significant exhibition marking her career open in her hometown in February.